Desperate bid to Bay: The trawlers in wait

bdnews24.com :The large trawlers at sea near Teknaf and St Martin are seen as life-changers. Those desperate to cross over to Malaysia through the Bay of Bengal reach for these trawlers in ever greater numbers, lured by a network of human traffickers that seems to grow by the day.A long uncertain journey awaits them once they reach the big trawler. At the end of it, though, some finds themselves scurrying for cover in jungles of Thailand whose security forces are notorious for taking off the engines from these trawlers to leave the boatpeople die at sea.Bangladesh Navy officials on Monday detained 600 migrants on a Malaysian flag-bearing trawler 50 nautical miles away from Saint Martin.This was by far the single largest case of people being caught by security forces while trying to illegally migrate to Malaysia.Traffickers take these people to locations around Bangladesh-Myanmar sea border where Malaysian trawlers wait to take them to their own country, the officials said.The aspiring migrants try to reach the Bay of Bengal through the coasts at Sitakunda, Kumira, Chakaria, Maheshkhali, Ukhia and Ramu, Teknaf BGB 42 Battalion Commander Md Abu Zar Al Zahid told bdnews24.com.They form small groups or have 25-30 people in them, all seeking to reach the big trawler.”These trawlers wait at the far end of our sea borders for nearly a month and start the passage once they are full.”There are BGB posts on Wyakong, Damdamia, Abid Chharha and Khurer Mukh to stop human traffickers-but they use ‘innovative means’ to get past the guards with their groups of hapless Bangladeshis (or Rohingyas) looking to reach Malaysia.”The traffickers pose as going on picnics or as businessmen or farmers and assemble groups of people who want to cross over to Malaysia,” said the BGB officer.”It is not an easy job to guard 200 to 250 kilometers of the sea. But it is possible if everyone is active like they are now.” The traffickers bring the victims from their districts to Dhaka, and then to Chittagong, said Siraj Uddin Belal, manager of Young Social Action’s project to prevent human trafficking.They are divided into small groups and taken to Cox’s Bazar, Saint Martin and Teknaf. “They are herded on Malaysia-bound trawlers waiting at Myanmar sea border. The entire coast must be brought under a security sphere.